[CR]Personality traits

(Example: Racing)

From: "Doug Smith" <douguk2007@hotmail.co.uk>
To: "classicrendezvous@bikelist.org" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:19:40 +0000
Subject: [CR]Personality traits

Paul Wiliiams concluded:- But, the question becomes - do we instill certain characters or personaliti es on our bikes or do they themselves have something inherent in their make -up? I know we can separate them on purely functional bases and distinguish touring from racing from time-trialling frames etc., but in the case of th e two frames in question they are both lightweight non-touring framesets.

It looks as if Paul's subject question as been unanswered ,on list anyway. I have had dozens of bikes over the past 50 years but in all honesty only one has been my all time favourite that is my special 1948 Holdsworth "La Quelda" . For nigh on 13 years it has been ridden regularly and always admired by one and all. Norman Kilgariff has often mentioned it as,"The bes t La Quelda on the Planet".

Why this special attachment one might ask after having the choice of so many others. It was because it once belonged to an elderly gentleman in our town who bought it in Olympic Year 1948 and in 1992 he was still riding it around our town. Because of its condition I only recognised by the bronz e head badge and I asked him on many occasions to let me restore it for him. He always refused for some reason but assured me if anything happened to him he would arrange for me to have the bike. I never saw him again. About two years later a man came into the local cycle shop with the bike asking after the person to whom his Father had promised his bike to. At the time , having forgot all about it there was I suddenly the owner of a Holdsworth bike , it was like a dream come true.It was quickly restore d to its former glory with the paint work colour and linings an exact copy.

I have often thought the character and personality of this previous owner is still somehow installed in this machine even today its special and I fee l at one with it as the present owner. Because of the passing years my precious La Quelda is now in trust and will pass on to another local cyclis t who will treasure it every bit as much as the original owner and myself.

Do you know I never did get to know his name!

Doug Smith
North Dorset
UK